Flowers and Ink
by Gaychel
Summary: In her own little act of rebellion, the shy Hinata Hyuga decides to get a tattoo. The leads her to ANBU, a small shop run by Itachi Uchiha. As he works on her new ink in his small office, the pair bond, and realise they have a lot more in common than first imagined. AU, ItaHina.
1. The First Session

She was going to go in. She _had_ to go in. She had managed to nervously drive all the way here with only a few casualties -a spilled coffee cup and a poor, spooked squirrel that would never venture on to the road again- and was now leaning against her car, staring at the neon signs and art covered windows.

Yes. Hinata Hyuga decided that today, a few months after her eighteenth birthday, she would get a _tattoo._

It wasn't a snap decision for Hinata, she had always wanted one. As a child she would ofter get scolded for drawing on her arm with her pens, and would beg to go into town just to stare into the shiny glass of the local tattoo parlor windows with amazed eyes, scanning through the weird and wonderful designs, before being quickly pulled away by her father, usually catching sight of a topless fifties pin up worn on the arm of a crude older man with huge biceps.

Not that she ever wanted a semi-naked female inked on her skin. No, she just wanted something simple, plain, elegant...and _completely_ hidden from her father. So, a few months before her eighteenth, she had decided to go for it, not telling anyone save for Sakura Haruno, who shocked the student population by coming in a few months back with a small red heart inked above her bosom.

She begins to walk on shaky legs towards ANBU, -a small building, clean and standing on it's own, found when Sakura was stalking the workplace of Sasuke Uchiha, and the young man proceeded to tell her to "get a goddamn tattoo, or get out"- being careful to watch her breathing.

Through the glass, she can see what looks like a reception desk at the far end, and a dark figure with his nose in what appeared to be a sketchbook. _Sasuke?_ With all this glass, how did Sakura manage to stalk him successfully everyday? There is a few rows of chairs, mostly empty due to it being quite late in the day, but some seats are still filled with a few people, chatting and joking with each other. A man with dark red hair -_is that his real colour?_- and a tattooed forehead walks quickly in shouting something, and is followed back into his room at the same speed by a large man, with a bald, tattooed head.

Chanting her usual mantra, "in through the nose, out through the mouth", and pausing briefly to check the opening times on the door, she hurries through, startled only briefly by the loud ding of the doorbell.

"To what do we owe to pleasure of holier-than-thou Hinata visiting our humble studio?"

Recognising the voice almost immediately, and turning quickly to the right, she spots Sasuke looking at her. Walking up to him, his smirk increases, growing into a full blown grin by the time she reaches what she could only guess was the reception desk.

"Well, I t-thought that would be fairly obvious S-sasuke, I'm not here for my g-groceries."

This earned an amused raise of his left brow.

"Do you have an appointment?"

"Yes, with..." A quick check of her diary. "Yugao?"

She had asked for a female specifically, no way was she letting some random man touch her, she would probably pass out, and Sakura had been done by the same girl, and recommended her. According to the pink haired female, Yugao had bright purple hair -fake-, a colourful, feminine left sleeve, and was really kind and gentle, "perfect for someone as shy as you, Hinata".

He checks the computer beside him, before nodding and turning back, now looking quite sinister and very, very amused, as if he had his own private joke, and wasn't planning on letting her in on it any time soon.

"Yes, that's fine, it's all here. Do you have ID?"

"What?! Sasuke, we went to school t-together, you're like six months older t-than me!"

"Ma'am, if you don't have ID-"

Slamming down her drivers license, Hinata looks him dead in the eye.

"L-look, I've been working up the c-courage to do this for weeks, s-so go get me Yugao before, so help me G-god, I report you to your m-manager."

She felt stupid as soon as she said it.

_Report you to your manager? Way to threaten there, Hina, watch out, he may just break down and cry. Or possibly get on his knees and beg for forgiveness._

She did not expect him, however, to look up at her with a slightly sorry expression.

"Look, princess, she's not even in today, "family emergency or something", but..." He sighs, before running his fingers through his hair in frustration. "Right, you look like a kicked puppy, and I can't stand looking at you, it's making me feel slightly bad."

_Huh?_

He presses a button, which she thinks is some form of intercom, and mumbles something incoherent, she only picks up the words "favour" and "please". He turns back to her and simply stares at her for what feels like forever.

Thinking she's been dismissed until a later date, Hinata turns to leave, before bumping into something, no, _someone. _

Making a small, sputtering noise, she apoligises and looks up to the man who seemingly appeared from nowhere.

She had to stop herself from gasping out loud.

It was painfully clear even at a glance that he was related to Sasuke, but stood taller, and had a slightly more matured face. His hair was a pitch black, almost as long as hers, and was tied up loosely behind his back. She could swear that his black eyes held red in their depths, and despite her preferences for blonds, she had to admit he was very handsome.

That, however, was not what help her attention.

His arms held an array of intricate tattoos, all different designs and drawings yet all seeming to match. She could make out various tribal designs, a cluster of stars, and her favourite, an intricate, gorgeous rose on his forearm, the type she would love to grow in her garden. She wondered if he had any more elsewhere, and if they were as beautiful as his arms...

"...What?"

His low, soft voice interrupted her daydream, and she pulled her wide, white eyes from his arms to his black -and red?- eyes.

"E-excuse me?"

He smiled slightly, the slight movement highlighting his face.

"Well I do believe you said something about my arms being...ehm, beautiful?"

_Oh no. Oh no. Oh no._

She could feel her face burning a thousand different colours before his eyes. Did she say that out loud? What the hell should she do? Deny it? Tell the truth and hope that the beautiful man doesn't think she's a total idiot?

Going with 'honesty is the best policy', and the fact she can't lie to save herself, Hinata blurts out the truth.

"W-well, they a-are."

Surprisingly he just chuckles lightly at her comment, and turns to look at Sasuke.

"Brother?" _Ah. _"Is this who we spoke about?"

Sasuke only grunts in return.

"I'm going to take that as a "yes, dearest big brother, this is the girl I practically begged you to come down and tattoo, despite the fact that you weren't even supposed to be in today, never mind taking customers", am I correct?"

Again, another grunt.

He turns to Hinata, and lightly grips her elbow, beginning to direct her towards his office. She freezes almost immediately.

"U-uh, no offense Mr Uchiha, but I came here f-for Yugao."

"Please, it's Itachi. And no offense to _you_, but not only I am the best tattooist in this place, I own it. Are you coming or not?"

She hesitates for only a moment, before following behind him into a small, isolated room with walls covered in different sheets of paper, all with sketches on. Hinata felt like a child again, staring up at all of his beautiful designs. Some were half done, some where just in the beginning stages, all were magnificent. She scans the walls, seeing a few more naked ladies, drawn in enough detail to make even her father blush, and some very lifelike animals, mostly animals of power, tigers, eagles, before coming across a set that make her stop in her tracks.

Before her, there was a various assortment of flowers, roses, lilies, dandelions, daisies, all of them stunning.

"Do you like them?"

Jumping lightly, she realises Itachi is directly behind her watching her stare at his creations.

"They're very b-beautiful."

"Hm, I've heard that before."

She spots him glancing slyly at her, and begins to blush when she realises that he was referring back to her previous statement about his arms.

His desk is completely immaculate, and as he sits down at his chair, he motions to Hinata to sit down.

"Do you have any ideas as to what you want?"

"Uhm...n-no. Well, actually, flowers. Yes, some type of f-flower."

Pulling out a rather large book, he places it in front of her, and tells her to look through it while they continue their conversation.

"Where would you like it done? How big?"

Looking up from a detailed drawing of sunflower, she chews her lip for a few moments in thought.

"Well, somewhere...u-unnoticeable. So not too big, and not to r-racy."

"Ah."

* * *

Their brainstorming lasts roughly twenty minutes, it would have lasted fifteen if Hinata hadn't freaked out when Itachi asked if she would like any where near the breast region, which resulted in a good five minutes of her having a choking stammer fit.

In the end, she was debating between her upper thigh, or her ribcage, which Itachi warned her would be very painful, and eventually chose her ribcage. They had also decided between them that Itachi would draw the flower himself, and that the design would be a grouping of of purple lilacs.

Drawing out a rough sketch to show the girl, he tells her stories of how Sasuke had begged him for a tattoo since the age of fifteen, and had been declined each time, often causing the younger brother to cause a hissy fit, and of ridiculously bad tattoos customers had come in wanted covered up.

"Yeah, we once had an older lady in, she lost a bet, and had to get an orange toad inked on her shoulder. It wasn't badly done, but God, this toad was ugly."

This is met with a fit of giggles from the Hyuga girl, causing him to look up and smile at the sight -_she really was quite cute_- before returning to his work.

"So Hinata, do you know the meaning behind the syringa?"

"Um, yes actually. I-it's a symbol of love."

He raises a questioning eyebrow.

"I...I press flowers."

He hadn't asked for an explanation, but she felt the need to give him one anyway.

"You're a very bright girl, Hinata."

Cue massive blush.

Silence filled the room after that, and continued to do so until her was done. After showing her the his idea -she thought it was more beautiful than she could ever imagine- he glanced at the clock.

"Well, it seems as if we're out of time. Same time next week to begin this?"

"Will I be w-with Yuga-"

"No, i'll be taking over from her if you don't mind."

She simply shook her head, not sure if she was able to speak.

It dawns on her that every week for the foreseeable future, she will be staring at this mans face for hours on end.

_Well, that's not exactly torture._

He was kind enough to walk her to her car, arguing that it was getting very dark, and she should be escorted no matter how short the walk.

"Thank you for today, Hinata."

"H-huh? shouldn't I be t-thanking you?"

His face light up in a breathtaking smile, and he leaned in to kiss her cheek.

"On the contrary! You've brightened up my day, little sunflower. Now, take care, I'll see you next week."

With one last wave, he turns around, walking away, and mumbled quietly to himself.

Hinata, however, had heard, and began to replay the five words in her head during the drive home.

_"Hm, signs of love indeed."_

* * *

_**a/n**  
_

I couldn't sleep, so I wrote this.

I'm actually so tired i wrote the word "twently".

Also, this didn't end up the way I wanted it but, meh.

Please, tell me if it's shit, so I can just keep it as a one shot, instead of multiple chapters focusing on Hinata's tattoo sessions with Itachi._  
_

_Hehe, sessions._

**Feedback would be much appreciated!**


	2. The Second Session- Part 1

It's only Tuesday, and Hinata is a nervous wreck.

She doesn't even have the tattoo yet, and she's already terrified of her father finding out. A thousand scenarios have been flickering through her head since she entered school on Monday, her brain filled with "what-if's" as she avoids everyone who knows her even in the slightest.

_What if Sakura tells Ino, who tells TenTen, who tells Neji, who gets worried about her safety, so tells her father. No, what if someone drugs Sasuke, and he gets really talkative, and tells everyone at school? Or what if her father was browsing for a secret tattoo, and spotted her at the shop? Oh God, what if Itachi was a secret spy, sent by her father to-_

Of course, she tries to ration with herself. Her paranoia is extremely stupid, she decides. After all, Sasuke isn't exactly the type to gossip, and Sakura isn't a complete bitch, despite the rumours that Konaha High have to offer. The only annoyance for the past couple of days have been Sasuke's knowing smirks, and she's positive that it's just in good humour, and he's only doing it to wind her up.

Despite the fact that she is worried sick about anyone finding out, she still can't help but look forward to Friday night, and her first proper session with Itachi.

_Itachi._

Wow, if there was anything that could rival in numbers her "what-if's", it was him.

He was just so...perfect. Soft spoken, funny, and downright handsome, he had it all. Hinata decided that her favourite thing about him, however, was that fact the he treats her like an actual person. Most people treat her as if she was fine glass, like she would break at any moment. She found herself, for the first time in a long while, wanting to get to know someone new. Wanting to step out of her comfort zone, and into a world filled with colourful tattoos, strange piercings, and men with long ebony hair and maroon eyes.

He was however, confusing as Hell.

_Signs of love indeed? What on Earth did he mean by that?_

She has spent her whole weekend asking herself the same question. Was he just remembering their earlier conversation, or was it much more than that? After hours analysing it, she had no idea.

About halfway through her search, though, she realised that she may have a bit of a crush on the eldest Uchiha.

_Understatement of the century, Hina._

She also realised how stupid this crush was about five seconds after. First of all, he was what, twenty three? Second, she was soon to be take over her father's multi-jillion dollar company, she couldn't exactly date a guy who worked with needles and wasn't a doctor. Third, as per most decisions she made, her father would not approve. Forth, and probably most importantly, why would he be interested in _her?_

There was nothing all that special about her. She was eighteen, about to leave high school and jump in to the world of business tycoons and ruthless deal making, sure, but to herself, she was just plain Hinata. She had no stand out features. No bright unusual hair, or quirky personality, or amazing sense of humour. No. She was too pale, her hair was too dark, her eyes just that bit too pale to be considered pretty, and her awkwardness was so apparent it hurt.

No, she decides, coming out of her daydream, there would be no way that Itachi Uchiha would ever be interested in someone like her.

She would give up on this silly notion immediately, and save it for her dreams. Itachi would only be interested in her until her beautiful tattoo was done, and he got his money. That is the way it always goes, she always fell for someone who never felt the same way in return, and this time, she would save herself the heartbreak of pursuing them, only to watch said person fall for another.

That being said, she still couldn't wait until Friday.

* * *

Thursday had finally arrived for Itachi, and with great relief. The week was positively dragging in for the Uchiha.

The shop had been going through a rather slow week, which meant he had been hauled up in his office for the most part, sketching out new design ideas and staring at the clock, counting down the hours until he could go home and sleep.

Usually, he would rejoice when he got some much needed free time. But for almost a week now, he couldn't put pencil to paper without drawing small animals with wide, pale eyes, or strange mixes of sunflowers and violets, or dark delicate butterflies, almost black in colour, but not quite.

It seemed that by doing what seemed a like small favour for his brother, he had tilted his life upside down.

The little female that came stuttering into his office that day made quite the impression.

At first, he saw nothing unique about her. She was small in size, with a surprisingly sizeable bust and huge eyes, rather cute, but nothing more, nothing extraordinary. Nothing he could make a work of art out of.

It was only when he began to look closer did he notice her subtle beauty.

It was her the colour of her skin that caught his eye first. Pale, creamy, and completely unblemished, he immediately wanted to mark it with his ink, and claim the virgin skin as his own. His desire to draw on her skin was borderline erotic, and he thanked whatever God that was listening that she didn't choose a breast piece, or surely he would have had to get someone else to do it.

Her eyes came next, lilac tinted and full of emotion, showing of everything she was thinking with just a quick glance his way.

They had only spent a few hours together, but Itachi had fallen for every part of the Hyuga individually.

He is a fool, of course. He is driven by his emotions, even though on the outside, it appears he lacks any. He falls in love quickly, and he falls hard. He's driven by his heart, and is deeply serious about his passions.

It was for this reason he could have never worked in an office, with a nine to five job, tie slung around the neck of his cheap shirt working for someone he despised. It was never something he was interested in, so he never thought twice about working with the family business, much to his father's dismay.

He knows though, that he would never be good enough for her. She would never be interested in him. If he ever had the fortunate luck to claim her as his own, she would eventually find someone better. Someone who does go to work wearing suits, who wasn't covered in ink, who doesn't enjoy listening to music that was loud and sleazy, and comes home every night at a decent hour, and would never, ever put his work before her.

He couldn't promise her any of that.

So now, pissed at himself and bored out of his wits end, sitting with paper scattered across his usually tidy desk, covered in pencil drawings of _her_, he waits.

He waits for the girl with that idiotic low self esteem, for the girl with that annoying stutter, for the girl with the skin of an angel, for the girl who would allow him to mark her skin forever.

Yes, he waits until Friday, the highlight of his week.

* * *

She walks without hesitance in to the parlour now. No hyperventilating outside of the door, or forcing herself our of her car. In fact, she almost hurries in, eager to see Itachi, and get his own work of art etched on her skin.

Sasuke is the first person she spots, again, and she moves towards the reception desk again, smiling at the boy.

"Ah, Hyuga, I didn't think you would have the balls to come back."

She ignores the jab, his teasing is nothing new, and to be perfectly honest this time last week she wasn't entirely sure she would have been back either.

"Is Itachi r-ready yet?"

He turns his back to her, checking the door to his older brother's office, as if he could see though it, and turns back to her, sighing.

"Nope, sorry, he seems to be running a little late with his current client, take a seat over at the left, and he'll be with you soon."

The speech is much too polite for Sasuke's usual manner, so Hinata assumes it's preprepared, and forced upon him by Itachi so he doesn't offend anyone with "He's busy, fuck off." or something similar.

Her musings left her quickly when what he has said to her sunk in.

"Uhm, you want to me to w-wait over there...with the other p-people?"

He must be aware of her complete and utter social awkwardness, as he doesn't get offended, only shrugs, and tells her she can sit with him until Itachi is done. Living up to her reputation, she awkwardly sits down beside him, hopping up slightly every time she lowers herself, as if she is expecting the Uchiha to push her off, and tell her to go sit with the other customers, or on the floor

Nothing is said for what seems like hours. Or maybe it was only ten minutes. Hinata really couldn't tell, time seemed to drag in waiting for _him_.

Of course, Sasuke did have work to do, so she watched for a while as he answered phones -again in that polite manner, so she decided it _must_ be death threats from Itachi- and types up emails and various other computer-type errands.

She hears music in the background something she hadn't noticed her first time, and looks for where the source is -ah, speakers dotted about the room- before shutting her eyes and listening. It was nothing she usually listened to, of course, the music at the Hyuga was mainly classical, and her father didn't agree with iPods for some reason. This was much different. The guitars were heavy, the drums were fast and there was so much emotion in the voice of the lead singer as he belted out a surprisingly catchy chorus she found herself rather enjoying it, and without knowing it, began tapping her feet.

After a while, a door opens, and her head shoots up. She has to stop herself from frantically searching for Itachi, so she tries to appear as nonchalant as possible when she looks at her door.

_Closed. Huh._

She soon spots that boy with the weird colour of hair walking towards the place where she sat. It was the first time she had actually got a proper look at him, excluding the blurry glances at him from the window of the shop. He is very striking, and surprisingly small, with that deep red hair she had noticed before, and the most gorgeous eyes, sea green, a colour way to cheerful for his constant pissed-off expression and his all-black attire. She could clearly see his tattoo now, noting with irony it was the Japanese kanji for love.

Of course, she then remembers that she is staring, and turns bright red before ducking her head back down to look at her small feet.

She decides quickly that she would never be able to talk to him without stuttering, not because he was particularly good looking -well actually, he was, in a rather peculiar way- but rather he has the look of a man all too willing to burn the place to the ground. He murmurs something to Sasuke in a quite, gravelly voice before retreating to his office.

_Or cave._

"Gaara."

"Excuse me?"

Turning to Sasuke, happy that he was talking, but also confused as to what the Hell he just said, she shoots him an odd look.

"That guy that just came in? You know, the one that looks like if he could shoot lasers out of his eyes, he'd aim at you? That's Gaara."

She becomes aware that she had been caught staring at this "Gaara", and decides to push her luck with Sasuke.

"W-who is he?"

"Gaara. No last name. He's roughly our age, which is weird. No family that's known of. Doesn't talk a lot." _And that's coming from Sasuke._ "His file is basically empty- I checked myself. Everyone here has heard plenty of rumours about him, I heard from Itachi's friend Kisame the other day that he's from some desert place -I know, he totally doesn't look like it- and that-"

"-He's one of the best artists I have?"

She hadn't heard Itachi come in at all, and it seemed that Sasuke hadn't either, as he jumps about three feet in the air and let's out quite the girly screech. She had never seen the younger brother loose his cool so much in all the time she's known him, it was hilarious. Despite the commotion, her heart still jumps at Itachi, who wore a black tank top today, showing off those much loved tattoos. _Did he do that on purpose?_

She follows Itachi into his room still giggling, and wondering if Sasuke realises he is sounding more like Sakura every day, which makes her giggle harder.

Her mood drops when she spots that _thing_ laying there.

_The needle._

She had never been scared of the things, but now that she was here, the reality of all of this set in.

_It was time, oh God, she was actually going to do this, Neji will hate her, her father will kill her, and then kick her out, and then she will become homeless, and addicted to dr-_

A large hand on her shoulder stops her horrible thoughts, and Hinata finds herself staring into those eyes she's becoming gradually more familiar with.

* * *

**A/N**

Oh, as I forgot in the last chapter,

**Naruto and it's characters aren't mine, all of that franchise belongs to a man with a name I am far too tired to spell**.

Well, my apologies, that's only about half of this chapter, so I decided to split it, and focus more on the whole tattoo/Itachi and Hinata bonding in the next half, which should be out by this time next week at the very latest.

But on another note, thank you everyone that reviewed, followed, and favourited the last chapter!

As before, feedback and follows and all of that usual stuff would be really amazing.


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